Rocking grate-bar.



C. R. WAID.

. ROCKING GRATE BAR APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. I914.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

mmwa.

COLUMBIA PLANOunAPH co wAsnmu UNITED @FFTQE.

CALVIN R. WAID, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

ROCKING GRATE-BAR.

Application filed. May 25, 1914-.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, Canvnv R. lVAID, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in. the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rocking Grate-Bars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in rocking grate bars composed of a plurality of segments which are suitably connected together and provided at each end with trunnions upon which the grate bar rocks.

The object of my invention is to design a grate bar which is light but very strong for its weight, which can be cheaply cast, which is well ventilated, and which comprises the minimum number of different parts.

One feature of my invention relates to avoiding the casting of the trunnions integral with one or more of the grate bar segments and this I accomplish by mounting the segments on a section of pipe or tubing on the ends of which I screw sleeves which hold the segments between them on the bar and serve as its trunnions.

Another feature of my invention relates to the manner in which the several segments are interlocked and alined on the tubing.

Another feature of my invention relates to the novel construction of the segments, one-half of which is offset relatively to the other so that the assembled segments produce a grate bar having the sections of the segments on opposite sides of a vertical axial plane relatively staggered. The particular design of the segments is of importance for providing an effective ventilation for the bar and for preventing it becoming clogged with cinders under normal operating conditions. VVith my construction of segment I dispense with the requirement for right and left hand castings and only two patterns are required, one for the segment having the rocker arm and the other for the standard segment without the rocker arm.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are hereinafter more particularly described reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation. of my improved grate bar. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Serial No. 840,851.

Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the segment carrying the rocker arm; and Fig. l is a similar view of the standard form of segment without the rocker arm.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the several grate bar segments are mounted on a section of pipe or tubing 1, the outer ends of which are threaded and adapted to receive the sleeves 2 and 3 which serve as trunnions for the grate bar. The standard form of grate bar segment illustrated in Fig. 4E comprises a hub 4 provided with a central opening 5 to receive the pipe 1 and having on one end face one or more V-shaped lugs 6 and on its other end face one or more V-shaped notches 7. Two lugs and two notches are preferably used and they are oppositely disposed so as to interfit on adjacent segments. Each segment comprises two integral, relatively staggered fire heads 8- and 8 which are joined at their centers to and supported by a web 9 which is triangular in side elevation and mer es into the hub at having a ventilating opening 10 extending axially therethrough. As seen in end elevation, Fig. 1, this web 9 comprises reversely inclined oppositely disposed faces 11 and 12 which extend from the inner ends of the fire heads 8 and 8 and are tapered, as seen in Fig. 1, so that they merge into the relatively narrow base of the web 9. The left hand leg of the web 9, as seen in Fig. 1, tapers downwardly and is inclined to the rear to bring its base near the rear end wall of the hub, while the right hand leg of the web is similarly tapered but is inclined to the front to bring its base close to the front edge of the hub. By this arrangement the downwardly tapering legs forming the web 9' are inclined from each end and from each side of the segment toward the center of its fire head, thereby giving me the strongest possible brace for the fire heads against strain from all directions and at the same time I succeed in eliminating as far as possible all unnecessary metal which would interfere with ventilating the segment, it being noted that the arrangement of the webs permits the air to flow freely from the sides over the hubs and axially of the grate bar on both sides of the legs of the web 9.

The fire heads at their outer ends are supported by webs l3 and 14 which, as seenin Fig. 1, are of less width than the top Width of the fire heads, which in cross section taper downwardly and these fire heads also taper from their centers toward their ends. As seen in Fig. 4, the fire heads are curved overhead to form a continuous arcuat'e fire supporting surface so that they will'move under the fire with less disturbance than Where the top surface is level. Wide ventilating openings 15 are provided between the Web 9 and the webs 13 and 1 1 and the ventilating openin s 10 and 15, being in alinement throughout the segments on the bar and being in communication with the side opening spaces provided between the webs 9, 18 and 14c of adjacent segments due to the inward taper of the webs, ample ventilating spaces are provided to prevent the excessive radiation of heat to the hubs or the tubular support 1. The construction of the other type of segment used, which is illustrated in Fig. 3, corresponds with that described except that it has cast to the underside of its hub l a depending rocker arm 16 provided with intermediate lugs 17 and a bottom opening 18. The connecting bar (not shown) is adapted to be connected at 18 to the rocker arm and where it is desired to fasten this bar between a pair of rocker arms, two rocker arm segments will be used and their lugs 17 will space their lower ends so that the rocker bar can be inserted between them and bolted thereto. These rocker arm segments can be inserted at any desired point or points along the grate bar to bring same into alinement with the furnace door and thereby to avoid having to drill the boiler front to insert the grate operating mechanism. In assembling the segments on the tubular support 1 they are slipped on an end thereof and the lugs 6 are caused to interfit in the V-shaped grooves 7, so that when the sleeves 2 and 3 are screwed on the tubing 1 and jam the segments together between them, the tongue and roove interlocking parts positively hold the segments in true alinement and prevent relative movement between them. In Fig. 1 I have shown the sleeve 2 screwed up against the lugs 6 on the end segment. Such an arrangement is entirely practical though if desired the lugs can be easilv removed. Of course a segment can be cast to form an end segment without the lugs 6 but that would re quire an additional part to be carried and it is my desire to reduce as far as possible the number of parts to be made and to make 1 the assembling of the bar as simple as possible.

In operation, the grate bar is rocked back and forth under the fire and, due to the staggered arrangement of the fire heads 8 and 8 1 am enabled to shift a direct supporting surface from under all parts of the fire and in this manner I can clean the fire better than where the bar has a continuous straight supporting surface lying in the plane of its rocking movements. The manner in which the supporting webs 13, 14L and 9 are tapered and inclined, prevents any tendency of the clinkers, etc., to catch be tween the segments as anything that can pass between the fire heads will fall freely between the webs and will not lodge on the rounded top of the hubs.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A rocking grate bar comprising a section of pipe forming a round shaft, a series of fire supporting units, each formed in a single piece and each having a perforated base member mounted on the shaft and having interlocking parts, and sleeves mounted on the ends of the shaft and relatively adjustable thereon for clamping the said units rigidly in position thereon, said sleeves being adapted to reinforce the ends of the tubular shaft and serve as removable trunnions for the grate bar, substantially as described.

2. A rocking grate bar comprising in com-- bination a tubular support having its cylindrical ends threaded, a series of grate bar segments having hubs bored to fit on said tubular support, means on the segments to interlock them against relative movement and sleeves screwed on the ends of the tubular support and adapted to clamp the segments in interlocked position and hold them rigidly in position on the shaft, said sleeves being adapted to serve as removable trunnions for the grate bar, substantially as de scribed.

3. A grate bar comprising a series of units, each unit comprising a continuous fire head formed by two staggered fire sections disposed on opposite sides of a vertical central axial plane through the grate bar, the fire head sections on the same side of said plane being spaced equidistantly, and the head sections on one side of said plane being set opposite to, and at their inner ends substantially corresponding in width with, the spaces between the head sections on the other side of said plane.

4. In a grate bar, a series of units each formed by a single piece and each having a continuous fuel head formed by two similar half sections which are disposed on opposite sides of the bar, and the inner ends of which meet in offset relationship at the center of the head.

5. In a rocking grate bar, a series of units each formed in a single piece and each having a convex fuel head formed by two similar half sections which meet in oifset relationship above the center of the bar, said sections having their top faces struck from the same center, and web means to support said faces substantially above the axis of the bar.

6. A grate bar s gment comprising a body portion, a fire head formed of offset half sections which join at the vertical center of the head, and spaced supports for connecting said fire head to the body portion comprising end webs which are relatively staggered and an intermediate support disposed diagonally of the segment, substantially as described.

7. A grate bar segment comprising a hub, a fire head formed of offset half sections which meet at the vertical center of the head, and webs for connecting said fire head to the hub, said webs comprising end supporting webs which are relatively staggered, and center webs which are oppositely inclined and tapered to bring the base of one adjacent to one side face of the hub and the base of the other adjacent to the other side face of the hub, there being a ventilating space between said webs, substantially as described.

8. A grate bar segment comprising a hub, a fire head formed of staggered sections leading from its axial center outwardly, and four webs for supporting said fire heads, which webs taper downwardly in thickness and are thinner than the top surface of the heads, the end webs being staggered to correspond with the staggering of the fire head sections and the center webs being also staggered at their bases and oppositely inclined both transversely and axially of the segment.

9. A grate bar segment comprising a hub, two integral offset fire heads which extend in opposite directions from the vertical axial center of the segment, a central web 9 for supporting said fire heads at their meeting inner ends, and end webs 13 and 14 for supporting the outer ends of the fire heads, said webs being downwardly tapered, there being ventilating openings in the web 9 and be tween that web and the end webs, the webs under one fire head being reversely inclined and staggered relatively to the webs under the other fire head for the free access of air laterally to said openings, substantially as described.

10. In a rocking grate bar, a plurality of units each formed in a single piece and each having a fuel supporting head and a spacing member, said head comprising half sections WhlCh ZLIQ relatively staggered, the inner end of each terminating over the'center of the grate bar, and a central web support for the sections having inclined faces extending downwardly and in opposite directions from said inner ends of the sections.

11. A grate bar segment forming part of the sectional bar, said section comprising a base member which is rounded over head, and a fire head comprising two half sections which are offset and meet over the center of said base member, and a web support for said fire head sections, which web extends diagonally across the base member, substantially as described. 7

12. A grate bar segment forming part of the sectional bar, said section comprising a base member which is rounded over head, and a fire head comprising two half sections which are offset and meet over the center of said base member, and a web support for said fire head sections, which web extends diagonally across the base member and comprises two reversely inclined faces which. rise in opposite directions from the base of the web and meet the inner offset ends of the head sections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN R. WAID.

Witnesses:

N OMIE WELSH, WM. C. PUCKETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

